


a star to guide her by

by Eussoros



Series: Shipwright AU [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Multi, Snippets, Tags will be updated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27582872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eussoros/pseuds/Eussoros
Summary: Snippets and scenes fromgive me one tall ship to sail
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long
Series: Shipwright AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016235
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

[at some point, Qrow asks James what his favorite wood is. James replies that he doesn’t think he has one. It’s something he hasn’t considered. Qrow pulls his wood library from a shelf in the office. It’s two boxes, nestled together, each filled with coaster sized samples of wood. One box is many different species of wood, the other is many different finishes and stains on a few species. A third, small box contains domino chips of rare and dense woods - lignum vitae, ebony, chobloko, kingwood.]

Eventually James asks if ironwood is really a thing. Qrow chuckles, explains that yes, ironwood is a thing. Unfortunately, it is in fact many things. 

“‘Ironwood’ has long been used to refer to any hardwood dense enough to sink in water. And there are a lot more of those than you think. Lots of tropical woods get that dense, and they have their uses. For instance, I’ve got a mallet of ulin - Bornean ironwood - that I use for setting polished metal fittings into place, and lignum vitae is sometimes used instead of metal in bearings and fittings. However, among the domestic species…” Qrow searches through the species box for a moment, selecting samples. He points James at the box of dominoes. “You’re looking for a chip that’s partly medium-dark brown, partly pale honey colored, labeled ‘Krug. ferreum.’” It took him a moment, but he found the requested chip, and passed it to Qrow, who had pulled three of the larger samples. He spread them on the desk. “Of domestic woods commonly - for a generous definition of the word - used in woodworking around here, there are four that get called ironwood. These all tend to grow as pretty small trees, or even shrubs, so they’re usually used in tool handles or turned into pens and the like. Oceanspray,” He pointed to the first sample, a pale, creamy wood, “is very common around here; people grow it for its flowers, which grow as a plume of tiny white blossoms, like sea spray.”

James smiled. “That sounds lovely.”

“It is. It’s kind of my favorite thing in the spring. Anyways, indigenous peoples once used it for spears and harpoons, as well as tools. Heat-harden it a bit and it’ll take a nice sharp point. I like using it to make trunnels and wood nails, on the rare occasion that I can talk a client into it. That sticks pretty close to the coast out west here. Further east, you start getting hornbeam.” Qrow pointed to the second sample, even paler than the first. “Everyone makes their hammer and axe handles out of hickory, but I prefer hornbeam. I find it’s even less inclined to splinter, and about as strong. It doesn’t tend to be commercially harvested, though. Down south you get desert ironwood, or olneya.” This was the third sample, a medium-light orange toned wood streaked with a very dark brown. “Pretty, isn’t it? That gets used for pen bodies a lot, though I like throwing it in for decorative bits on boats I build on spec. It’s no good for anything structural - who’d have thought, desert woods have no rot resistance - but it’s so pretty it’ll drive up the selling price of a boat on aesthetics alone. And then, rarest and most expensive of the four —“ he held up the little domino. 

James was fascinated, in spite of himself. He leaned forward and responded to Qrow’s prompting. “Krug ferreum.”

Qrow grinned. “Properly Krugiodendron Ferreum, commonly known as black ironwood, leadwood, or, as I call it, Florida ironwood. Because there’s at least four species that get called black ironwood, but this is the only one from Florida. This stuff is gorgeous. This is a fairly tame sample, but the dark heartwood can have streaks and flares of red, orange, and violet. It’s a bitch to cut into — it’s considered the densest wood in the country for a reason. But it will polish to a hard shine without a drop of finish, and it will keep that polish against anything short of carbide. It’s black fucking magic, and one of these days Raven is going to tell me she found a supplier who deals in it and she will be my favorite sister again.”

James took a moment to respond. Qrow had become wonderfully animated throughout this whole lecture, but now, with his eyes wide and sparkling, his grin easy and careless, waving his hands about to punctuate his speech… James found he had a favorite wood now. He wrenched himself out of his staring. “I thought she was your only sister?”

Qrow’s grin softened into something sweeter. “You’ll understand once you meet Summer.” He looked down at the sample chips under his long fingers and cleared his throat. “So yeah. Ironwood. Covers a bunch of stuff.”

“Generally dense, inconvenient, and a tool.” James said wryly. 

“And gorgeous, don’t forget that.” Qrow looked up and winked at him. 

James hummed agreeably, rather than betray the effect that had on him. “Do you have a favorite?”

“A favorite Ironwood? Yeah, he’s sitting right in front of me.”

James felt his cheeks warm. “A favorite wood, Qrow.”

Qrow just held his mischievous grin and waggled his eyebrows. James flushed harder, and Qrow fell back into his chair, laughing. “Yeah, Jimmy. It’s black walnut. The one wood that is generally agreed to be cursed for boatbuilding.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for Taylor. Erin is an OC who by this point is helping Qrow with classes and shop work.

[sick fic time. This is later in the story, James and Qrow are a bit more comfortable in their mutual attraction, and the power of Ironwood hugs has been well established.]

James was sick, curled up on the couch one morning. He’d already texted Qrow and Tai telling them he’s taken the day off. Tai had asked if he needs meds or anything, James had replied that he can’t take most stuff because of drug interactions. 

Qrow came downstairs, saw James propped up on one end of the couch, legs stretched out on the cushions, wrapped in blankets. Qrow draped himself over James’ shoulders and hugged him. 

“Qrow, I’m sick.”

“Mhm”

“Qrow, if you’re this close you’re going to get sick.”

“Mhm”

“Qrow. I don’t want to get you sick.”

Qrow finally pulled his face out of the crook of James’ neck. “That was inevitable. Trust me, I helped raise two toddlers. I refuse to treat you like a leper because of a cold. Besides, I have the luxury of being able to go off my meds and take the really good drugs.” He went back to nuzzling James. 

“That’s… not good logic,” James protested weakly. It felt good, to be held. “Qrow, what are you doing?”

“I have recently been informed - by an expert no less - that hugs fix everything,” Qrow muttered into his ear. James tried not to savor the warmth that the tickle of Qrow’s breath sent through him. “I’m testing this theory.”

James reached up and ran a hand through Qrow’s hair. He hadn’t yet styled it for the day; it was soft and feathery, the gentle curl apparent. Qrow hummed happily at the touch. “Liar. You just want hugs.” He scratched gently at Qrow’s scalp, and the man melted against him. James smiled, in spite of himself.

Qrow hummed again. “Why not both? I want hugs, you want a hot water bottle, I could use a day off, you get to keep petting my hair…”

James chuckled, and started coughing. Qrow pulled away to give him space, rubbing soothing circles between his shoulders. James retrieved a mug of tea from the floor beside him and sipped slowly at it. Finally he set it down and leaned his head back to peer at Qrow. 

“Are you sure you want to do this? As this gets worse I’m not exactly going to be good company.”

Qrow snorted. “No shit Jimmy, you’re sick. Everyone knows being sick is a free pass to be an asshole.” James frowned and opened his mouth to protest, and Qrow caught his chin and pushed his jaw closed. He laid his thumb over James’ chapped lips. “I promise, if you get to be too much of a bear, I’ll leave you to your misery. I know you’re perfectly capable of handling it on your own.” James was quiet, watching Qrow’s face as he caressed James’ lips. Qrow tried to remember if James had been flushed from the illness a moment before. “You need more fluids,” he murmured. 

James’ eyes were slipping closed. “No orange juice,” he said, his lips moving against Qrow’s fingers. 

Qrow huffed. “No orange juice,” he agreed. He slid his hands down to trail over James’ shoulders again, planting a little feather-kiss on his forehead. “How do you feel about ginger?”

“I prefer brunettes…” James murmured, already in a doze. 

Qrow smiled to himself, and gently pushed James back into the couch cushions. He went to see what supplies they had in the kitchen. 

——

When Tai came in to work an hour later, James was stretched out as long as he was on the couch, with Qrow lying on him, boneless as a cat. They were both sound asleep, James’ hand still buried in Qrow’s hair. Tai shook his head, grinning, and went to inform Erin that she would need to take over the afternoon class.


End file.
